Rendering

ABSTRACT

This document describes methods, systems and computer program products related to cloud-based rendering. The subject matter of this document is embodied in a method that includes receiving, at a server, information associated with a job of rendering one or more frames at the server, and using, at the server, an application to perform at least a portion of the rendering. The use of the application to perform the rendering bears a charge according to a usage license associated with the application. The method also includes measuring, at the server, an amount of use of the application in performing the rendering for use in determining the charge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of and claims priority toU.S. application Ser. No. 13/826,847, filed on Mar. 14, 2013.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to rendering.

BACKGROUND

In some cases, rendering is a process of creating frames ofcomputer-generated images or videos from files, instructions, andcommands.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a method includes receiving, at a server, informationassociated with a job of rendering one or more frames at the server, andusing, at the server, an application to perform at least a portion ofthe rendering. The use of the application to perform the rendering bearsa charge according to a usage license associated with the application.The method also includes measuring, at the server, an amount of use ofthe application in performing the rendering for use in determining thecharge.

In another aspect, a method includes receiving, at a server, filesrelated to a job of rendering of a frame, and identifying, based on thereceived files, a set of resources for executing the job. The methodalso includes causing the job to be executed on a virtual machine thatincludes the set of resources identified for the job.

In another aspect, a method includes accessing through a network,processing capacity of virtual machines at a remote location andreceiving from users through a network, jobs for rendering frames usingapplications that have features suitable for rendering frames of therespective jobs. The method also includes causing the applications torun on the virtual machines, and causing each of the jobs to be run onone of the virtual machines. When the job is completed, another job forwhich that virtual machine is suitable, is caused to be run on thatvirtual machine.

In another aspect, a method includes recording numbers of uniform unitsof continuous time that have been reserved by respective customers foruse in having instances of virtual machines or applications that areavailable at a server render frames of jobs submitted by the customersthrough a network to the server. The method also includes causing jobsof a given customer to be performed during an elapsed one of the uniformunits of continuous time that have been bought by the customer. The jobsof the customer that are performed during the elapsed unit of continuoustime can require less actual time than the elapsed time of the unit.

In another aspect, a method includes making available to a customer anapplication or a virtual machine for rendering frames of jobs andpermitting the customer to execute two or more instances of theapplication or virtual machine, respectively. The method also includesreceiving from the customer an accurate measure of the amount of elapsedtime during a given period when instances of the application or virtualmachine were being used for rendering jobs, and recording charges to bepaid by the customer based on the measure of the amount of elapsed time.The charges are recorded without regard to the number of instances beingused or the calendar period over which the instances were being used.

In another aspect, a system includes a storage device and a computingdevice connected to the storage device. The computing device includesmemory and a processor, and is configured to receive informationassociated with a job of rendering one or more frames at the server, anduse an application to perform at least a portion of the rendering. Theuse of the application to perform the rendering bears a charge accordingto a usage license associated with the application. The computing deviceis also configured to measure an amount of use of the application inperforming the rendering for use in determining the charge.

In another aspect, a system includes a storage device and a computingdevice connected to the storage device. The computing device includesmemory and a processor, and is configured to receive files related to ajob of rendering of a frame, and identify based on the received files, aset of resources for executing the job. The computing device is alsoconfigured to cause the job to be executed on a virtual machine thatincludes the set of resources identified for the job.

In another aspect, a system includes a storage device and a computingdevice connected to the storage device. The computing device includesmemory and a processor, and is configured to access through a network,processing capacity of virtual machines at a remote location and receivefrom users through a network, jobs for rendering frames usingapplications that have features suitable for rendering frames of therespective jobs. The computing device is also configured to cause theapplications to run on the virtual machines, and cause each of the jobsto be run on one of the virtual machines. When the job is completed,another job for which that virtual machine is suitable, is caused to berun on that virtual machine.

In another aspect, a system includes a storage device and a computingdevice connected to the storage device. The computing device includesmemory and a processor, and is configured to record numbers of uniformunits of continuous time that have been reserved by respective customersfor use in having instances of available virtual machines orapplications render frames of jobs submitted by the customers through anetwork. The computing device is also configured to cause jobs of agiven customer to be performed during an elapsed one of the uniformunits of continuous time that have been bought by the customer. The jobsof the customer that are performed during the elapsed unit of continuoustime can require less actual time than the elapsed time of the unit.

In another aspect, a system includes a storage device and a computingdevice connected to the storage device. The computing device includesmemory and a processor, and is configured to make available to acustomer an application or a virtual machine for rendering frames ofjobs and permitting the customer to execute two or more instances of theapplication or virtual machine, respectively. The computing device isalso configured to receive from the customer an accurate measure of theamount of elapsed time during a given period when instances of theapplication or virtual machine were being used for rendering jobs, andrecording charges to be paid by the customer based on the measure of theamount of elapsed time. The charges are recorded without regard to thenumber of instances being used or the calendar period over which theinstances were being used.

In another aspect, a computer program product includes a computerreadable storage device encoded with instructions. Upon execution by oneor more processors, the instructions cause operations includingreceiving, at a server, information associated with a job of renderingone or more frames at the server, and using, at the server, anapplication to perform at least a portion of the rendering. The use ofthe application to perform the rendering bears a charge according to ausage license associated with the application. The operations alsoinclude measuring, at the server, an amount of use of the application inperforming the rendering for use in determining the charge.

In another aspect, a computer program product includes a computerreadable storage device encoded with instructions. Upon execution by oneor more processors, the instructions cause operations includingreceiving, at a server, files related to a job of rendering of a frame,and identifying, based on the received files, a set of resources forexecuting the job. The operations also include causing the job to beexecuted on a virtual machine that includes the set of resourcesidentified for the job.

In another aspect, a computer program product includes a computerreadable storage device encoded with instructions. Upon execution by oneor more processors, the instructions cause operations includingaccessing through a network, processing capacity of virtual machines ata remote location and receiving from users through a network, jobs forrendering frames using applications that have features suitable forrendering frames of the respective jobs. The operations also includecausing the applications to run on the virtual machines, and causingeach of the jobs to be run on one of the virtual machines. When the jobis completed, another job for which that virtual machine is suitable, iscaused to be run on that virtual machine.

In another aspect, a computer program product includes a computerreadable storage device encoded with instructions. Upon execution by oneor more processors, the instructions cause operations includingrecording numbers of uniform units of continuous time that have beenreserved by respective customers for use in having instances of virtualmachines or applications that are available at a server render frames ofjobs submitted by the customers through a network to the server. Theoperations also include causing jobs of a given customer to be performedduring an elapsed one of the uniform units of continuous time that havebeen bought by the customer. The jobs of the customer that are performedduring the elapsed unit of continuous time can require less actual timethan the elapsed time of the unit.

In another aspect, a computer program product includes a computerreadable storage device encoded with instructions. Upon execution by oneor more processors, the instructions cause operations including makingavailable to a customer an application or a virtual machine forrendering frames of jobs and permitting the customer to execute two ormore instances of the application or virtual machine, respectively. Theoperations also include receiving from the customer an accurate measureof the amount of elapsed time during a given period when instances ofthe application or virtual machine were being used for rendering jobs,and recording charges to be paid by the customer based on the measure ofthe amount of elapsed time. The charges are recorded without regard tothe number of instances being used or the calendar period over which theinstances were being used.

Implementations can include one or more of the following.

The charge can be based on a percentage of revenue generated by theperforming of the rendering. The amount of use can be measured as anamount of time. A customer can be charged for the use of the applicationfor rendering the frames in uniform units of use that is different insize from the amount of measured use. The units of use can be regulartime periods of no longer than an hour. An availability of theapplication to be used to perform the rendering, can be determined atthe server, based on information representing the usage licenseassociated with the application. Determining the availability of theapplication can include determining if the application is being used foranother rendering job. A determination can be made whether the usagelicense permits a concurrent use of the application for at least asecond rendering job, based on information representing the usagelicense associated with the application. Information can be maintainedabout using the application for performing rendering jobs in accordancewith the usage license. The use of the application for performingrendering jobs can be regulated in accordance with the usage license.The rendering job can be placed in a queue upon determining that theapplication is unavailable for use at that time. The measured amount ofuse can be indicative of how long the application is used for performingthe job. The measured amount of use can be provided to a supplier of theapplication. The information associated with the rendering job can bereceived from a client application at a remote computing device. Theremote computing device can run an image-editing application, and theapplication at the server can be selected based on the image-editingapplication. The information associated with the job of rendering caninclude files and the files can be stored at storage locations local tothe server, in accordance with an organization of the files on a remotecomputing device associated with a remote client application.

A pool of idle virtual machines available to the server can bemaintained. The virtual machine can be selected from the pool. Availableusage times of the idle virtual machines can be monitored. The virtualmachine can be added to the pool upon completion of the execution of thejob if the virtual machine has usage time available. One or moreresources can be installed on one or more of the idle virtual machines.Execution of at least a part of the job can be completed on at least oneother virtual machine if a usage time associated with the virtualmachine expires. The other virtual machine can be selected from a poolof idle virtual machines available to the server. At least one resourcethat is included in the set of resources, can be installed on thevirtual machine.

The use of each of the applications can be paid for on the basis of theamount of time that the applications are used for rendering jobs. Theusers of the application can be charged on the basis of standardizedunits of time that are no longer than one hour each.

The uniform units can be each shorter than an hour. The uniform unitscan be each shorter than ten minutes. Each of the customers can becharged for the uniform units of continuous time at a full standardprice per unit when the actual amount of time used by the customerduring each of the elapsed units of time is less than the uniform units.An instance that is available at the server can be caused to performjobs of two or more customers during an elapsed period of time thatcorresponds to the length of each of the uniform units of continuoustime. The use of the instance can be paid for on the basis of actualelapsed amounts of time during which the instance is used for therendering jobs without regard to the uniform units of continuous timefor which the customers are charged.

The application or virtual machine can be made available electronically.The accurate measure can include a measure of the minutes during whichinstances of the application were executing features associated with therendering of the jobs.

Other features and advantages are apparent from the following detaileddescription, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an example of a cloud-based rendering system.

FIG. 1B shows examples of component systems of a cloud-based renderingsystem.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations forrendering a frame.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations forinterfacing between an image-editing application and a clientapplication.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations forcommunicating with a remote server to render a frame.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations fordetermining a charge for using an application.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations formanaging virtual machines.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations forexecuting applications on virtual machines.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations forproviding rendering services to customers.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart depicting an example sequence of operations fordetermining charges pertaining to a use of an application.

FIGS. 10A-10F show examples of user-interfaces.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a computing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some cases, rendering is a process of generating a frame of image orvideo from a set of attributes (collectively often referred to as ascene file), using suitable computer programs. The attributes caninclude, for example, geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, andshading information, and other descriptors of a virtual scene to bedepicted by the frame. The scene can include graphics, images, texts,and other content that is to be processed and assembled in the processof rendering. The data contained in the scene file is passed to arendering application to be processed based on the attributes and outputto a digital image or raster graphics image file. The process ofrendering is used, for example, in the creation of visual effects formotion pictures, or in visualization and simulation tasks in buildingdesign and architecture. In general, the process of rendering iscomputationally intensive and requires specialized and expensivehardware. The cloud-based rendering described in this document allowsfor the rendering process to be outsourced to a cloud computing system,thus reducing the need for expensive hardware to be installed at auser's location. Multiple processors available to the cloud computingsystem can be used for the rendering process to significantly shortenturnaround time. A client application installed on the user's computingdevice can be used to facilitate communications with the cloud computingsystem. By managing various aspects such as data transfers, datasecurity, storage, computing resources, and licensing, the cloud-basedrendering described in this document empowers devices with limitedcomputing resources to fulfill their rendering needs. The terms“cloud-based rendering system” or “cloud-based system,” as usedthroughout this document, refers to remote computing resources (hardwareand/or software) the use of which can be delivered as a service over anetwork such as the Internet.

FIG. 1A shows an example of a cloud-based rendering system 100. Thesystem 100 includes a computing device 104 communicating with a server106 over a network 102. As an overview, the computing device 104 sendsone or more files related to rendering of a frame over the network 102to the server 106. The files related to the rendering of the frame canbe collectively referred to as a scene file 108. The scene file caninclude files of various file-types. For example, the scene file 108 caninclude one or more image or video files (e.g., files with one of thefollowing filename extensions: .tif, .jpg, .png, .rgb, .psd, .mov, .dpx,.cin, or .r3d), one or more data files including information onattributes such as geometry, cameras, etc. (e.g., files with one of thefollowing filename extensions: .abc, .obj, .fbx, or .rib), and one ormore files related to an image editing application (e.g., files with oneof the following filename extensions: .nk, .ma, .mb, .max, .ae, .c4d, or.hip). The server 106 is a part of a cloud computing system thatexecutes the rendering process based on the scene file 108, and makes arendered frame 110 available for the computing device 106.

In some implementations, the server 106 can have access to multiplevirtual machines 107. A virtual machine 107 can be a set of computingresources (processors, memory, software etc.) that can be used forexecuting a task from a user or customer. In some implementationsdifferent virtual machines 107 can be assigned to execute tasks from adifferent users or customers. The hardware and/or software associatedwith the virtual machines 107 can be included as a part of the server106, or can be provided from a remote location such as another server.In some implementations, the virtual machines 107 can be provided as aservice from another cloud-based system. The cloud-based renderingsystem 100 can be configured to rent, lease or otherwise access thevirtual machines 107, from the other cloud-based system. In someimplementations, the cloud based rendering system 100 can be configuredto maintain a pool 109 of available virtual machines 107.

In some implementations, the rendered frame 110 is made available bybeing transmitted to the computing device 104. In some embodiments, theserver 106 provides a notification to the computing device 104 that therendered frame 110 is available for download. The server 106 can accessa local storage device 112. The computing device 104 can access acorresponding local storage device 116. A local storage device for agiven entity (such as a server or a computing device) can be defined asa storage device that is directly connected to the entity, or as astorage device that can be directly accessed by the entity. Entitiesthat are connected over the network 102 can be considered to be remoteto one another. Accordingly, the computing device 104 is remote withrespect to the server 106 and vice-versa. The system 100 can alsoinclude a networked storage 114 that can be accessed over the network102.

The computing device 104 (which can also be referred to as a clientcomputing device, client device, or simply client) is a device on whicha user executes an image-editing application 118 to define a computergenerated image or video frame. The computing device 104 can be, forexample, a laptop or desktop computer, a mobile device, or a tabletdevice, or another device capable of executing the image-editingapplication 118. The image-editing application 118 can include, forexample, a computer graphics software package such as Maya®, or 3dsMax®, both developed by Autodesk Inc., a digital compositing softwarepackage such as Nuke™ developed by The Foundry Visionmongers Ltd., oranother commercially available application that allows for creating orediting computer-generated images and graphics. The image-editingapplication 118 can be used to define various attributes related to animage or video. For example, the image-editing application can be usedto define one or more frames of a length of an animation, an appearanceof an image, a size of an image, or an object, text or other contentwithin an image. The appearance of each of the frames to be rendered canbe defined or modified using various attributes, such as, shading,texture, shadows, highlights, depth of field, blurs, transparency,reflections, or another attribute that affect how an image appears to aviewer. In some implementations, the image-editing application 118 isexecuted on the computing device 104. Alternatively, the image-editingapplication 118 can be provided from a remote server, for example as aweb-based service. In some cases, the image-editing application 118 canbe accessed through a browser executing on the computing device 104.

In some implementations, the image attributes defined using theimage-editing application 118 can be represented using the scene file108. The scene file 108 can be processed by a rendering application toproduce a rendered frame 110, which can be displayed as a visualrepresentation on a suitable display device. Portions of the scene file108 can be initially stored in a storage device 116 local to thecomputing device 104. The storage device 116 can include, for example, ahard drive, memory, a removable storage device, or an optical disk thatcan be accessed by the computing device 104.

In some implementations, the computing device 104 provides the scenefile 108 to a cloud computing system represented by the server 106. Ingeneral, a cloud computing system allows for the use of remote computingresources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over anetwork. In the present example, the server 106 can include (orcommunicate with) multiple processors that can work in parallel toexpedite the rendering of the frame 110 from the scene file 108.

In some implementations, communication between the computing device 104and the server 106 can be facilitated by a client application 120executing on the computing device 104. The client application 120 can beinvoked, for example, by a control integrated into a user-interface ofthe image-editing application 118. The control can be integrated intothe user-interface of the image-editing application 118 by a plug-indownloaded from a remote source such as a server, onto the computingdevice 104. In some implementations, at least one of the plug-in or theclient application 120 can be invoked by accessing the cloud-computingsystem server through a browser executing on the computing device 104.In such cases, a user can be asked to set-up an account via a web-basedinterface to download the plug-in or the client application onto thecomputing device 104. An example of an account management interface 1000is depicted in FIG. 10A. The client application 120 can also be anapplication that executes separately from the image-editing application118.

In some implementations, the client application 120 can be configuredusing a user-interface such as the user-interface 1065 depicted in FIG.10D. Various aspects and functionalities of the client application 120can be configured using such the user interface 1065. For example, theuser-interface 1065 can be used to provide the client application 120with the location where a security key is stored. The security key canbe provided from the cloud computing system (for example, by anadministrator) upon setting up of an account. The security key candetermine a level of authorization associated with the user of theaccount. The security key can also be used by the client application 120to encrypt and/or decrypt data and files communicated between thecomputing device 104 and the server 106. In some implementations, thesecurity key can be generated at the server 106 using a cryptographicnetwork protocol such as secure shell (SSH). The user-interface 1065 canalso be used to specify other parameters associated with the clientapplication 120, such as, the number of jobs that the client application120 can simultaneously upload to the server 106, the frequency at whichthe client application 120 would poll the server 106, and the locationof a folder the client application 120 is allowed to access.

In some implementations, the client application 120 manages thecommunications between the computing device 104 and the server 106. Forexample, once a user indicates a preference to launch a rendering job(e.g. using the control integrated in the image-editing application118), the client application 120 facilitates exchanging files andmessages between the computing device 104 and the server 106 in order toachieve the completion of the rendering by the server. In someimplementations, the client application 120 sends a message to theserver 106 that a rendering job needs to be performed. The server 106,in response, can send a request to the client application 120 for thescene file 108 required for the rendering job. The request can be sent,for example, upon determining that enough processors are available tothe server 106 to perform the rendering within a threshold time period.If enough processors are not available, or the cloud computing system isunavailable for some other reason (e.g., maintenance), the server 106can send a message to the client application 120 indicating theunavailability and/or a time the system is expected to be availableagain.

The client application 120 can manage uploading the scene file 108 fromthe computing device to the server 106. In some implementations, thescene file 108 is parsed to determine locations of the one or more filesassociated with the scene file 108 on receiving information that arendering job is to be uploaded to the server 106. The clientapplication 120 can be configured to verify that the computing device104 and/or a user of the computing device 104 is authorized/permitted touse the services provided by the cloud computing system through theserver 106. Upon the verification, the client application 120 canprovide one or more files associated with the scene file 108 to theserver 106.

In some implementations, the client application 120 can receive, fromthe server 106, one or more messages related to the scene file 108provided to the server 106. For example, the server 106 can requestinformation on modification dates associated with one or more files fromthe scene file 108. In some implementations, this information is used bythe server to determine if a copy of a file from the scene file 108already exists in the storage device 112 local to the server, and ifthat copy represents the most updated version of the file. The server106 can also request one or more additional files based on determiningthat the one or more additional files is needed for the rendering jobrequested by the client application 120. In response to the messagesfrom the server 106, the client application can provide the requestedinformation and/or files, if such information or files are available atthe computing device 104.

In some implementations, the client application 120 continues to pollthe server 106 for a progress report of the rendering job afterproviding the files and information required for the rendering job. Thepolling can be done, for example, by periodically sending a message tothe server 106 requesting a status update. In some implementations, theserver 106 automatically provides, to the client application 120, aperiodic status update. The client application 120 can be configured tofacilitate display of the status update on the computing device 104, forexample, via a user-interface. An example of such an user-interface 1070is depicted in FIG. 10E. In some implementations, the status update caninclude information that a rendered frame 110 is ready to be downloaded.Upon receiving such information, the client application 120 downloadsthe rendered frame 110 on to the computing device 104. The clientapplication 120 can also be configured to communicate with theimage-editing application 118 to determine if a rendering job is to beuploaded to the server 106.

The cloud computing system that performs the rendering job isrepresented by the server 106. The server 106 can include (orcommunicate with) multiple processors that can process a rendering jobunder a distributed computing framework. In some implementations,hundreds or thousands of processors can be used, thereby providingsubscribers of the cloud computing system with scalable, on-demandcomputing capabilities. The server 106 can be configured to distribute agiven rendering job (as represented by, for example, the scene file 108)to multiple processors and combine the results to produce the renderedframe 110. In some implementations, the server 106 can provide a plug-into the computing device, wherein the plug-in integrates a control withinthe image-editing application 118 to communicate with the clientapplication 120. The server 106 can also provide one or more files forinstalling the client application 120 on the computing device 104.

The server 106 can be configured to manage various aspects related to arendering job requested by the client application 120. For example, uponreceiving a scene file 108, the server 106 can process the scene file108 to determine if additional files may be needed for the requestedrendering job. Depending upon the file-types of the additional files(for example, upon determining that a file is related to a particularsoftware package), the server 106 can either send a request to theclient application 120 to provide the additional files, or retrieve thefiles from another location. In some implementations, if the server 106determines that the additional files are available at a networkedstorage device 114, the server 106 may retrieve the additional filesdirectly from the networked storage device 114. For example, if arequired additional file is determined to be related to a particularsoftware package, the server can be configured to contact a centralrepository associated with the software package to directly retrieve therequired additional file.

In some implementations, the server 106 can be configured to determineif a version of an additional required file exists on the local storagedevice 112. Upon such determination, the server 106 may send a messageto the client application requesting information if the file has beenmodified at the computing device 104 since the last upload. The server106 may only request the file from the computing device if the file hasbeen modified since the last upload, else, the server can use theversion of the file available from the local storage device 112.

Upon receiving the files required for the rendering job, the server 106can begin the rendering process. In some implementations, the server 106selects an appropriate rendering application for the rendering job basedon the files and information provided by the client application 120. Therendering application can be selected, for example, based on theimage-editing application 118. The selected rendering application can beexecuted by the server, and possibly by the multiple processorsparticipating in the rendering process, to produce the rendered frame110 from the files and information received from the client application120 or retrieved by the server 106.

In some implementations, the server 106 can be configured to managelicensing and usage-tracking with respect to the selected renderingapplication. For example, for a rendering application selected for agiven rendering job, the server 106 may track an associatedusage-parameter (for example, total usage time or job size), receivebilling details from a vendor of the selected rendering application andprovide an invoice for the usage. In some implementations, the server106 can be configured to maintain logs that reflect the usage details.By managing licensing and usage-tracking, the server 106 preventsunauthorized use of the rendering application while relieving theend-user (i.e. the user of the computing device 104) from the burden.Further, multiple rendering applications can be made available for usewith files from various sources and image-editing applications.

In some implementations, the files received from the client application120 are stored on the local storage device 112 based on file-typesidentified for the received files. For example, if a given received fileis related to a particular software package, the server 106 can beconfigured to store the given file within a folder reserved for storingfiles for the particular software package. In some implementations, if areceived file is identified as a script file, the server 106 scans thescript file for occurrences of file-paths identifying storage locationsspecific to the storage device 116 local to the computing device 104.The file-paths can then be automatically replaced by the server 106 withrevised file-paths identifying storage locations specific to the localstorage device 112. The files associated with the corresponding revisedfile-paths are then stored at storage locations specified by the revisedfile-paths. In this way, the server 106 organizes the files receivedfrom the computing device 104 on the local storage device 112 in asystematic fashion. In some implementations, the organization of thereceived files within the local storage device 112 includes mirroringthe organization of the corresponding files on the storage device 116local to the computing device 116.

During the rendering process, the server 106 can provide periodicupdates on the process to the client application 120. For example, ifthe rendering job involves rendering multiple frames, the updates caninclude providing a preview (e.g. a thumbnail image) of each renderedframe as they are produced. In some implementations, once a renderedframe 110 is produced, the server 106 makes the rendered frame 110available for the client application 120 to download on the computingdevice 104. The server 106 can also store a copy of the rendered frame110 on the local storage device 112. This way, if a user needs todownload the rendered frame 110 again (e.g. on a different computingdevice), the user can do so without having to execute the renderingprocess again. The server 106 can also retain the scene file 108 and oneor more additional files related to the completed rendering job(possibly tied to a user account) such that at least some of the filesneed not be uploaded again for executing a similar rendering process.

The cloud-based rendering system 100 can include multiple sub-systems orcomponents. FIG. 1B shows a block diagram that illustrates examples ofsuch component systems of the cloud-based rendering system 100. In thisexample, the component systems include a master control engine 152, ajob control engine 154, and a data control engine 156. In someimplementations, these systems can be substantially autonomous, whileworking in conjunction with one another to provide one or morefunctionalities described in this document. The different sub-systems,viz., the master control engine 152, the job control engine 154, and thedata control engine 156 can be implemented as a combination of softwareand/or hardware modules. Functionally, the various tasks performed bythe cloud-based rendering system 100 can be divided among thesesub-systems. However, the sub-systems need not be implemented asphysically separate entities. For example, in some cases, functions ofone or more of the master control engine 152, the job control engine154, and the data control engine 156 can be performed at the server 106by a common processor (or set of processors).

The data control engine 156 can be configured to handle security andstorage of user data, for example, as describes above. In someimplementations, the data control engine 156 manages encryption andstorage of user data in storage locations local to the server 106.Segmentation and organization of data can also be performed by the datacontrol engine 156.

Functionalities of the job control engine 154 can include, for example,managing active rendering tasks being executed by the cloud-basedrendering system 100. For example, the job control engine 154 can beconfigured to perform load balancing between the multiple processors,and/or other resources available to the cloud-based rendering system100. The job control engine 154 can also be configured to communicatewith the client application 120, for example, to receive new tasks fromusers and notify the client application when a rendered frame is readyfor download.

The master control engine 152 can be configured to manage a high volumeof tasks that may be received from various end-users. The master controlengine 152 can check, for example, the credentials of a user to ensurethat the user is authorized to use the services of the cloud-basedrendering system 100. The master control can also be configured tomanage assignment of tasks to cloud-based virtual machines 107 availableto execute the tasks.

The use of the virtual machines 107 or applications can be referred toas instances. In some implementations, instances of virtual machines 107can run on physical processors of a cloud-based system. In someimplementations, an instance of an application can run on a virtualmachine 107. Multiple instances of an application can run on a singlevirtual machine instance. Multiple instances of the application can alsorun across multiple instances of the virtual machine 107.

In some implementations, a virtual machine 107 is a set of computingresources (processors, memory, software etc.) that can be used forexecuting a task from a user. For example, if a cloud-based computingsystem includes resources such as many processors, a large amount ofmemory, and a large amount of storage space, a portion of the resources(e.g. a few processors, a few gigabytes of memory, and a few gigabytesof storage space) can be allocated as a virtual machine 107 that canfunction substantially independently from the rest of the cloudcomputing system. In some implementations, the cloud-based renderingsystem 100 can include the resources used in creating virtual machines107. In some implementations, the cloud-based rendering system 100 maylease or buy virtual machines 107 from a vendor. The master controlengine 152 can be configured to manage virtual machines 107 available tothe cloud-based rendering system 100. Managing a pool of instances ofvirtual machines or applications is often referred to as instancepooling, and is discussed below in more details.

The various sub-systems described above can work in conjunction with oneanother to provide the rendering services described in this document. Insome implementations, once a request for a task is received from a user,the master control engine 152 can select a virtual machine 107 from apool 109 of virtual machines (if available) and authorizes a launch ofthe virtual machine 107. The cloud-based rendering system 100 can beconfigured such that the existence of the virtual machines 107 istransparent to the user. The user can simply request rendering services(e.g., in the form of a task) and receive a corresponding end-product.

If a suitable virtual machine 107 is not available in the pool 109, themaster control engine 152 can facilitate leasing or creating of avirtual machine 107 in accordance with the request from the user. Oncethe virtual machine 107 is created or launched, the job control engine154 can assign the virtual machine 107 to a task or job from the user.Once the virtual machine 107 completes the task, the job control engine154 can be configured to search for a next task from the same user. Ifmultiple tasks from the same user are available, the job control engine154 can be configured to select one of the available tasks, for example,based on priority information associated with the task.

In some implementations, the master control engine 152 can maintain andlaunch several virtual machines 107 that are available for use bycustomers to execute a rendering process using one or more renderingapplications (such as Maya®) running on one or more operating systems(such as Linux). The rendering application and operating system can beinstalled on a virtual machine 107 prior to the launch. Alternatively, avirtual machine 107 that has the requisite application and operatingsystem pre-installed can be selected from a pool 109 of availablevirtual machines 107.

In some implementations, virtual machines 107 can be provided to acustomer in bundles of a predetermined time period (e.g. an hour orfifteen minutes of virtual machine time). However, the customer may endup not using the entire time period. For example, a customer may beallotted one hour of usage-time for an initial task on a virtual machine107, but end up actually using only twenty-five minutes of the one hourfor the initial task. In such a case, thirty-five minutes of additionalusage-time remains on the virtual machine. In some cases, the customercan execute more jobs/tasks and use up the remaining thirty-fiveminutes, without incurring any additional cost. Alternatively thecustomer may not need the additional thirty-five minutes. In such cases,the master control engine 152 can be configured to release the virtualmachine 107 (with thirty-five minutes of remaining usage-time) to a pool109 of virtual machines 107 maintained by the cloud-based renderingsystem, such that the remaining usage-time of the virtual machine 107can be used by a job or task from another user. The master controlengine 152 is configured to ensure that sensitive user-specific filesand information are protected appropriately when a virtual machine 107is transferred to the pool 109. For example, all user-specific data canbe deleted from the virtual machine 107 prior to being released to thepool 109. Alternatively, the user-specific data can be stored securelysuch that a different customer would not be able to access the data. Incase the original customer needs to use the virtual machine 107 again,the securely stored, relevant user-specific data can be retrieved, forexample, upon verifying credentials of the original customer.

In some implementations, the master control engine 152 checks forvirtual machines 107 available in the pool 109 before launching a newvirtual machine 107. For example, if another customer requests the useof a virtual machine 107 for an hour, the master control engine 152first checks if a suitable virtual machine 107 (e.g. the virtual machinewith thirty-five minutes of available usage-time from the previousexample) is available in the pool 109. If no suitable virtual machines107 are available, the master control engine launches a new virtualmachine 107 for the customer. For example, if none of the virtualmachines 107 available in the pool 109 has the amount of memoryrequested by the new customer, or none of the available virtual machines107 has enough remaining-usage time for a task from the new customer,the master control engine 152 may create or lease an appropriate newvirtual machine 107.

In some implementations, selecting a virtual machine 107 from the pool109 can be based on the resources required for a given task. Forexample, if a new customer requests a rendering job using Maya® runningon Linux, the master control 152 can be configured to search for anexisting virtual machine 107 on which the requisite resources areinstalled. If an exact match is not available, the master control engine152 can be configured to select a close match (e.g. a virtual machinethat runs on Linux, but does not have Maya®), and install the remainingrequisite resources (in this case, Maya®). In some cases, the mastercontrol engine 152 may need to install several resources on a virtualmachine 107 to make the machine usable for a new customer.

In some implementations, the master control engine 152 can be configuredto automatically install additional resources on a virtual machine 107when the virtual machine 107 is sitting idle in the pool 109. Therefore,an available virtual machine 107 can be progressively made more generic(by installing more and more resources that may be needed by a newcustomer) as the virtual machine 107 sits idle in the pool 109. Ingeneral, having the resources pre-installed on a virtual machine 107 canpotentially reduce a time needed to launch the virtual machine 107 for anew customer.

Referring back to the example of using the virtual machine 107 withthirty-five minutes of remaining usage time, a new customer assigned tothe virtual machine 107 may need additional time over the thirty-fiveminutes. In that case, the master control engine 152, either uponexpiration of the thirty-five minutes or preemptively, can renew thelease for that virtual machine 107 for the next bundle of predeterminedtime period. In some implementations, the master control engine 152 canbe configured to transition the task to another suitable virtual machine107 available in the pool 109. In general, using idle virtual machinesas described in this document, allows for more efficient use of alreadycreated virtual machines and saves on time needed to launch a newvirtual machine 107 each time a customer requests one. The management ofvirtual machines 107 by the master control engine 152 can be done in away such that the experience of an end user or customer is not affectedby such management. In some implementations, the master control engine152 can be configured to maintain a buffer number of additional virtualmachines in the pool 109 such that a time delay to launch a virtualmachine 107 can be reduced. Pre-installing as many resources as possibleon the virtual machines 107 in a preemptive fashion also helps inreducing the time delay.

In some implementations, the master control engine 152 can be configuredto display the pool 109 of available virtual machines 107 using a userinterface on a display device. An example of such a user interface isshown in FIG. 10F. The example interface shown in FIG. 10F includesvarious parameters related to the available virtual machines 107, alongwith indications of available usage-times. In some implementations, thedisplay of the virtual machines can be color coded in accordance withthe amount of remaining usage-time. For example, virtual machines withmore than thirty minutes of remaining usage-time can be displayed inblue, virtual machines with less than ten minutes of availableusage-time can be displayed in red, and virtual machines havingremaining usage-time between ten and thirty minutes can be displayed inorange. The master control engine 152 can also be configured to performstatistics logging related to the tasks executed by the virtual machines107. For example, the master control engine 152 can be configured totrack what resources are being used for various tasks, and how much timeeach task takes. The master control engine 152 can also be configured tomonitor other parts of the cloud-based rendering system 100 to ensurethat various components and sub-systems are functioning normally. Themaster control engine 152 can also be configured to manage licenses forresources that are used for rendering the tasks. For example, the mastercontrol engine 152 can be configured to track usage of licensedresources, for example, to support revenue sharing with correspondinglicensing entities. This functionality of the master control engine 152can be referred to as license tracking.

In some implementations, when a rendering request is received from theclient application 120, the cloud-based rendering system 100 candetermine that third party resources such as applications, plugins,shader languages, or other software, may be needed to perform therendering operations. The master control engine 152 can be configured tomanage usage-licenses of such resources from appropriate licensingentities. For example, the master control engine 152 can be configuredto track when a usage-license is checked out, used by a virtual machine107, and checked back in upon completion of a task by the virtualmachine 107. In some implementations, the master control engine 152 canbe configured to check if a license is available and allow a license tobe checked out only if an appropriate license is available. The mastercontrol engine 152 can also be configured to ensure that the resourcesare used in accordance with the licensing terms and agreement.

In some implementations, the master control engine 152 maintains a queueof tasks that are waiting on a licensed resource, until a suitablelicense becomes available. The master control engine can also beconfigured to manage assignment of the licenses to virtual machines 107as the licenses become available. In some implementations, the mastercontrol engine 152 is configured to track usage-times of licensedresources across various virtual machines 107 at various levels ofgranularity. For example, the master control engine 152 may tracklicensing for multiple applications and plugins per task and per job. Insome implementations, in the event a task or job fails to be completed,the master control engine 152 may track the license usage accurately upto the point of failure such that an actual amount of usage can belogged. Such accurate tracking of usage-times can allow for accuratelyand fairly compensating a licensing entity, if the task is not completedfor a reason beyond the control of the licensing entity. Even though thelicense management described in this document is illustratedspecifically in the context of a cloud-based rendering system 100, suchlicense management can also be used in other systems where variousresources are licensed from licensing entities.

Using the instance pooling and/or the license management describedabove, either separately, or in conjunction with one another providesseveral advantages. In some existing systems, a service provider can buymultiple licenses for using licensed packages such as Maya®. Typically,the licensing entities charge the service provider based on the numberof projects, requiring the service provider to buy a new license foreach new project. However, when the usage of the licenses is notaccurately tracked, a dishonest service provider can violate licensingagreements by reselling or leasing use of the packages. Using thevirtual machine pools and license tracking, as described above, allowsfor expanding the revenue-generating capacity of cloud-based computingresources and licensed packages, while allowing for transparent audits.In some implementations, a licensing entity can be compensated (forexample on a revenue sharing basis) for the actual amount of usage ofthe licensed resource (rather than on a per project basis). This canresult in, for example, more revenue for the licensing entity becausethe licensed resource is efficiently used for the intended purpose andthe usage is accurately tracked.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart 200 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor rendering a frame. The sequence of operations depicted by theflowchart 200 can be performed on a device such as the server 106described with respect to FIG. 1A. The operations include receivingfiles related to rendering of a frame from a remote client application(202). The remote client application can be executed on a computingdevice (e.g. the computing device 104 described with reference to FIG.1A). The received files can include a scene file having information onvarious attributes and objects that are to be used in the rendering ofthe frame.

Operations can include storing the received files at local storagelocations determined based on identifying file-types for the receivedfiles (204). For example, if a received file is identified to be of aparticular file-type, the particular received file can be stored at aparticular location. The particular location can be determined, forexample, in accordance with a storage location of the corresponding fileat a remote storage location. If a received file is identified as ascript file, the file can be scanned to identify occurrences of textualrepresentation of file-paths related to one or more additional files. Insuch cases, the additional files can be stored in accordance with thetextual representations of the file-paths. In some implementations,where the textual representations are specific to remote storagelocations, the representations are replaced by revised textualrepresentations of file-paths specific to local storage locations, andthe additional files are stored in accordance with the revised textualrepresentations.

Operations also include rendering the frame on two or more processors(206). For example, the process of rendering the frame can bedistributed over multiple processors for parallel execution under adistributed computing framework. In some implementations, when multiplerendering jobs are to be executed, distributing the jobs can be donebased on priority information associated with the jobs. For example,when only a limited amount of computing resources are available, a highpriority job may be processed before a lower priority job, even if thelower priority job is received earlier. The computation results from themultiple processors can be combined to produce the rendered frame.

Operations also include making the rendered frame available to theremote client application (208). This can include, for example, storingthe rendered frame at a storage location that the remote clientapplication can access to download the rendered frame. In someimplementations, when a rendered frame is made available, a message canbe sent to the remote client with a notification that the rendered frameis available for download.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart 300 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor interfacing between an image-editing application and a clientapplication. The sequence of operations depicted by the flowchart 300can be performed, for example, at the computing device 104 describedwith reference to FIG. 1A. The image-editing application and the clientapplications can be substantially similar to the applications 118 and120, respectively, described with reference to FIG. 1A.

Operations can include integrating a control within a user-interface ofan image-editing application (302). The control can be integrated, forexample, using a plug-in for the image-editing application. The plug-incan be downloaded and installed for the control to be integrated withinthe user-interface of the image-editing application. The control caninclude, for example, a virtual button, a checkbox, a tab, or anothergraphical representation. The control may be selectable using amouse-click, or by touching a relevant portion of a touch-screendisplay. In some implementations, the control may not be visible on auser-interface but can be invoked as needed, for example, using anappropriate script-based command. An example of the control is depictedin the user-interface shown in FIG. 10B. In this particular example, thecontrol 1010 appears as a separate tab within the user-interface 1005and is similar to other controls within the user-interface 1005. In someimplementations, a control for activating the client application canalso be integrated with a graphics pipeline management tool orproduction tracking software package such as Shotgun®, developed byShotgun Software Inc.

Operations include receiving through the control user-enteredinformation associated with the rendering of a frame (304). Referringagain to the example of FIG. 10B, a user can select the control like anyother control within the user-interface 1000 to begin the rendering. Insome implementations, selecting the control brings up anotheruser-interface through which additional information related to therendering can be entered by the user. An example of such auser-interface is shown in FIG. 10C. The user-interface 1050 depicted inthe example of FIG. 10C allows the user to provide details, such as, alocation of the files related to the rendering, a name of the renderingproject or job, a priority associated with a rendering job, a range offrames (e.g. a length of a shot being rendered), frame steps (e.g.whether every frame, or every second frame, or every third frame is tobe rendered), layers to be included in a rendering job, location of anoutput directory, desired resolution, a username and password associatedwith an account, and other parameters and attributes associated with therendering. After entering the information, the user can select a control(such as the control 1090) to launch the rendering job.

Operations also include providing the information to a clientapplication communicating with a remote computing device (306). Theremote computing device renders the frame based on files provided by theclient application. In some implementations, if the client informationis not executing, operations can also include launching the clientapplication such that the information can be provided to the clientapplication.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart 400 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor communicating with a remote server to render a frame. The sequenceof operations depicted in the flowchart 400 can be performed, forexample, by the client application described with reference to FIG. 1A.Operations include receiving from an image-editing application,information associated with rendering of a frame (402). The informationfrom the image-editing application can be received, for example, when auser activates or selects a control integrated within a user-interfaceof the image-editing application. The information can include forexample, an indication that a rendering job is to be launched, locationof one or more files and/or folders related to the rendering job, anoutput directory where the rendered frame is to be saved, and one ormore attributes related to the rendering job.

Operations also include determining locations of files associated withthe rendering (404). The determination can be made, for example, basedon information provided by the user. One or more of the files can thenbe retrieved from the determined location for forwarding to a remoteserver.

Operations also include providing the files to the remote server (406).In some implementations, copies of the files are uploaded to a locationaccessible by the remote server. Metadata information related to thefiles can also be provided. The metadata information of a file caninclude, for example, a file-type, location information, and file size.In some implementations, a file is provided to the remote server basedon determining that the remote server is requesting the file.

Operations also include receiving the frame as rendered from the filesprovided to the remote server (408). In some implementations, when therendering involves multiple frames, the frames can be receivedsequentially as and when they are produced. Alternatively, multipleframes can be received together. Receiving the frame can includereceiving a notification that a rendered frame is available fordownloading. A particular remote location can then be accessed todownload the rendered frame.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart 500 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor determining a charge for using an application. The operationsdepicted in the flowchart 500 can be performed, for example, at theserver 106 described with reference to FIG. 1. The operations caninclude receiving information associated with a job of rendering one ormore frames (502). The information can be received from, for example, aclient application executing on a remote computing device that runs animage editing application.

The operations can include using an application to perform at least aportion of the rendering, the use of the application bearing a charge inaccordance with a user license (504). The application can be selected,for example, based on identifying the image editing application at theserver. The image editing application can be identified, for example,based on a scene file included in the information. The charge can bebased on, for example, a percentage of revenue generated by theperforming of the rendering. An availability of the application can bedetermined, for example, based on information representing the usagelicense associated with the application. For example, if the usagelicense allows for up to ten concurrent uses of the application, theapplication can be deemed unavailable if the application is alreadybeing used on ten separate virtual machines. Under the same licenseterms, the application can be deemed available, if being used on lessthan ten virtual machines. Accordingly, determining the availability ofthe application can include determining if the application is being usedon another virtual machine for another rendering job. This can be done,for example, based on a record of usage information of the applicationmaintained at the server. If an determination is made that anapplication is currently unavailable, the job requiring a use of theapplication can be placed in a queue until the application becomesavailable again.

The operations can also include measuring an amount of use of theapplication for use in determining the charge (506). The amount of usecan be measured, for example, as an amount of time. In someimplementations, a customer can be charged for the use of theapplication for rendering the frames in uniform units of use that may bedifferent in size from the amount of measured use. For example, acustomer may be charged for a minimum predetermined time (e.g. an hour,or thirty minutes) even if the amount of use is determined to be lessthan the predetermined time. In some implementations, the measuredamount of use can be indicative of how long the application is used forperforming the job. The measured amount of use can be provided tosupplier of the application. For example, in a scenario where thesupplier is compensated based on an actual amount of use (e.g., on arevenue-sharing basis), the measured amount of use can be used todetermine the charges due to the supplier.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart 600 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor managing virtual machines. The operations depicted in the flowchartcan be performed, for example, on the server 106 described withreference to FIG. 1. The operations include receiving files related to ajob of rendering a frame (602). This operation can be substantially sameas the operation 502 described above with reference to FIG. 5.Operations also include identifying a set of resources for executing thejob. This can include, for example, parsing a received scene file andidentifying a rendering application needed to perform the renderingrequested in the job. Identifying the set of resources can also includeidentifying an operation system associated with the job. For example, adetermination can be made that a Maya® rendering application running onLinux is needed for executing the rendering job.

The operations can include causing the job to be executed on a virtualmachine that includes the set of resources (606). In someimplementations, a suitable virtual machine can be selected from a poolof idle virtual machines available to the server. The pool can includevirtual machines obtained or set-up based on requests from varioususers, but no longer being used by the respective users. For example, ifa virtual machine, running a Maya® rendering application on Linux andwith an hour of usage time, was set up for a user, and the user actuallyused only thirty-five minutes, the virtual machine along with thetwenty-five minutes of remaining usage time can be placed in the pool.If another user requests for a virtual machine running the Maya®rendering application on Linux, the above mentioned virtual machine fromthe pool can be selected to service the job request of the other user.In case the other user requires some additional resources, theadditional resources can be installed on the virtual machine selectedfrom the pool prior to being assigned to the other user. If the otheruser's job requires more time than the twenty-five minutes available onthe virtual machine, the remaining part of the job can be completed onthe same virtual machine by renewing the lease for the virtual machine.Alternatively, the remaining part of the job can be completed on anothersuitable virtual machine selected from the pool.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart 700 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor executing applications on virtual machines. The operations can beperformed, for example at the server 106 described with reference toFIG. 1. The operations can include accessing a processing a capabilityof virtual machines at a remote location (702). The remote location caninclude, for example, a cloud-computing server from which computingresources such as processing capabilities, memory and storage areprovided as a service. In some implementations, the remote location canbe a physical server that can be accessed by the server 106. The virtualmachines can be accessed over a network such as the Internet.

The operations also include receiving jobs for rendering frames usingsuitable applications (704). The jobs can be received from users over anetwork. The suitable applications include features for rendering framesof the respective jobs. The operations also include causing theapplications to run on the virtual machines (706) and causing the eachof the jobs to be run on one of the virtual machines (708). Theoperations further include causing another job to be run on the virtualmachine when the initial job is complete (710). The use of theapplications can be paid for on the basis of the amount of time that theapplications are used for rendering jobs. The users of the applicationcan be charged on the basis of standardized units of time that are nolonger than one hour each.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart 800 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor providing rendering services to customers. The operations depictedin the flowchart 800 can be performed, for example by the server 106described with reference to FIG. 1. The operations include recordingnumbers of uniform units of continuous time that have been reserved byrespective customers for use in having instances of applications orvirtual machines that are available at a server render frames of jobs(802). The jobs can be submitted by the customers through a network tothe server. The units of time can be shorter than a predetermined timeperiod such as an hour, or ten minutes.

The operations can also include causing jobs of a given customer to beperformed during an elapsed one of the uniform units of continuous timethat have been bought by the customer (804). The jobs of the customerthat are performed during the elapsed unit of continuous time canrequire less actual time than the elapsed time of the unit. In someimplementations, each of the customers can be charged for the uniformunits of continuous time at a full standard price per unit when theactual amount of time used by the customer during each of the elapsedunits of time is less than the uniform units. In some implementations,an instance that is available at the server can be caused to performjobs of two or more customers during an elapsed period of time thatcorresponds to the length of each of the uniform units of continuoustime. In some implementations, a use of the instance can be paid for onthe basis of actual elapsed amounts of time during which the instance isused for the rendering jobs without regard to the uniform units ofcontinuous time for which the customers are charged. For example, if acustomer is charged for an hour of virtual machine use time, but ends upactually using only forty-five minutes, a provider of the virtualmachine can still be compensated for the actual forty-five minutes ofusage.

FIG. 9 shows flowchart 900 depicting an example sequence of operationsfor determining charges pertaining to a use of an application. Theoperations can be performed, for example, by the server 106 described inFIG. 1. The operations include making available to a customer anapplication or a virtual machine for rendering frames of jobs andpermitting the customer to execute two or more instances of theapplication or virtual machine (902). The application or virtual machinecan be made available electronically, for example, at a server.

The operations can also include receiving from the customer an accuratemeasure of the amount of elapsed time (902). The elapsed time can bemeasured during a given period when instances of the application orvirtual machine were being used for rendering jobs. The operationsfurther include recording charges to be paid by the customer based onthe measure of the amount of elapsed time, without regard to the numberof instances being used or the calendar period over which the instanceswere being used. In some implementations, the accurate measure caninclude a measure of the minutes during which instances of theapplication were executing features associated with the rendering of thejobs.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a computing device 1100 and a mobile device1150, which may be used with the techniques described here. Referring toFIG. 1A, the computing device 104 could be examples of the computingdevice 800 or the mobile device 800, and the server 106 could includeone or more computer devices 800. Referring to FIG. 1B, one or more ofthe subsystems, such as the master control engine 152, the job controlengine 154, and the data control engine 156 can include one or more ofthe computing devices 800. Computing device 1100 is intended torepresent various forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops,workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers,mainframes, and other appropriate computers. Computing device 1150 isintended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personaldigital assistants, cellular telephones, smartphones, and other similarcomputing devices. The components shown here, their connections andrelationships, and their functions, are meant to be examples only, andare not meant to limit implementations of the techniques describedand/or claimed in this document.

Computing device 1100 includes a processor 1102, memory 1104, a storagedevice 1106, a high-speed interface 1108 connecting to memory 1104 andhigh-speed expansion ports 1110, and a low speed interface 1112connecting to low speed bus 1114 and storage device 606. Each of thecomponents 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108, 1110, and 1112, are interconnectedusing various busses, and may be mounted on a common motherboard or inother manners as appropriate. The processor 1102 can processinstructions for execution within the computing device 1100, includinginstructions stored in the memory 1104 or on the storage device 1106 todisplay graphical information for a GUI on an external input/outputdevice, such as display 1116 coupled to high speed interface 1108. Inother implementations, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may beused, as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory.Also, multiple computing devices 1100 may be connected, with each deviceproviding portions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank,a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system). In someimplementations the computing device can include a graphics processingunit. The computing device 1100 can also be configured to executeapplications such as the image-editing application 118 and the clientapplication 120 described with reference to FIG. 1A.

The memory 1104 stores information within the computing device 1100. Inone implementation, the memory 1104 is a volatile memory unit or units.In another implementation, the memory 1104 is a non-volatile memory unitor units. The memory 1104 may also be another form of computer-readablemedium, such as a magnetic or optical disk.

The storage device 1106 is capable of providing mass storage for thecomputing device 1100. Referring to FIG. 1A, the storage devices 112,114, or 116 could be examples of the storage device 1106. In oneimplementation, the storage device 1106 may be or contain acomputer-readable medium, such as a floppy disk device, a hard diskdevice, an optical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory orother similar solid state memory device, or an array of devices,including devices in a storage area network or other configurations. Acomputer program product can be tangibly embodied in an informationcarrier. The computer program product may also contain instructionsthat, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as thosedescribed above. The information carrier is a computer- ormachine-readable medium, such as the memory 1104, the storage device1106, memory on processor 1102, or a propagated signal.

The high speed controller 1108 manages bandwidth-intensive operationsfor the computing device 1100, while the low speed controller 1112manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation offunctions is an example only. In one implementation, the high-speedcontroller 1108 is coupled to memory 1104, display 1116 (e.g., through agraphics processor or accelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports1110, which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). In theimplementation, low-speed controller 1112 is coupled to storage device1106 and low-speed expansion port 1114. The low-speed expansion port,which may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth,Ethernet, wireless Ethernet) may be coupled to one or more input/outputdevices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or anetworking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through a networkadapter.

The computing device 1100 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as astandard server 1120, or multiple times in a group of such servers. Itmay also be implemented as part of a rack server system 1124. Inaddition, it may be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptopcomputer 1122. Alternatively, components from computing device 1100 maybe combined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), suchas device 1150. Each of such devices may contain one or more ofcomputing device 1100, 1150, and an entire system may be made up ofmultiple computing devices 1100, 1150 communicating with each other.

Computing device 1150 includes a processor 1152, memory 1164, aninput/output device such as a display 1154, a communication interface1166, and a transceiver 1168, among other components. The device 1150may also be provided with a storage device, such as a microdrive orother device, to provide additional storage. Each of the components1150, 1152, 1164, 1154, 1166, and 1168, are interconnected using variousbuses, and several of the components may be mounted on a commonmotherboard or in other manners as appropriate.

The processor 1152 can execute instructions within the computing device1150, including instructions stored in the memory 1164. The processormay be implemented as a chipset of chips that include separate andmultiple analog and digital processors. The processor may provide, forexample, for coordination of the other components of the device 1150,such as control of user-interfaces, applications run by device 1150, andwireless communication by device 1150.

Processor 1152 may communicate with a user through control interface1158 and display interface 1156 coupled to a display 1154. The display1154 may be, for example, a TFT LCD (Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid CrystalDisplay) or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, or otherappropriate display technology. The display interface 1156 may compriseappropriate circuitry for driving the display 1154 to present graphicaland other information to a user. The control interface 1158 may receivecommands from a user and convert them for submission to the processor1152. In addition, an external interface 1162 may be provide incommunication with processor 1152, so as to enable near areacommunication of device 1150 with other devices. External interface 1162may provide, for example, for wired communication in someimplementations, or for wireless communication in other implementations,and multiple interfaces may also be used.

The memory 1164 stores information within the computing device 1150. Thememory 1164 can be implemented as one or more of a computer-readablemedium or media, a volatile memory unit or units, or a non-volatilememory unit or units. Expansion memory 1174 may also be provided andconnected to device 1150 through expansion interface 1172, which mayinclude, for example, a SIMM (Single In Line Memory Module) cardinterface. Such expansion memory 1174 may provide extra storage spacefor device 1150, or may also store applications or other information fordevice 1150. Specifically, expansion memory 1174 may includeinstructions to carry out or supplement the processes described above,and may include secure information also. Thus, for example, expansionmemory 1174 may be provide as a security module for device 1150, and maybe programmed with instructions that permit secure use of device 1150.In addition, secure applications may be provided via the SIMM cards,along with additional information, such as placing identifyinginformation on the SIMM card in a non-hackable manner.

The memory may include, for example, flash memory and/or NVRAM memory,as discussed below. In one implementation, a computer program product istangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer programproduct contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or moremethods, such as those described above. The information carrier is acomputer- or machine-readable medium, such as the memory 1164, expansionmemory 1174, memory on processor 1152, or a propagated signal that maybe received, for example, over transceiver 1168 or external interface1162.

Device 1150 may communicate wirelessly through communication interface1166, which may include digital signal processing circuitry wherenecessary. Communication interface 1166 may provide for communicationsunder various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, orMMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others.Such communication may occur, for example, through radio-frequencytransceiver 1168. In addition, short-range communication may occur, suchas using a Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). Inaddition, GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver module 1170 mayprovide additional navigation- and location-related wireless data todevice 1150, which may be used as appropriate by applications running ondevice 1150.

Device 1150 may also communicate audibly using audio codec 1160, whichmay receive spoken information from a user and convert it to usabledigital information. Audio codec 1160 may likewise generate audiblesound for a user, such as through a speaker, e.g., in a handset ofdevice 1150. Such sound may include sound from voice telephone calls,may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages, music files, and soforth) and may also include sound generated by applications operating ondevice 1150.

The computing device 1150 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as acellular telephone 1180. It may also be implemented as part of asmartphone 1182, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, or othersimilar mobile device.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here canbe realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations can include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichmay be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/orobject-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machinelanguage. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium”“computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory,Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructionsand/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readablemedium that receives machine instructions.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here can be implemented on a computer having a display device(e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor)for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provideinput to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide forinteraction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback,auditory feedback, or tactile feedback). Input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user-interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a networksuch as the network 102 described with reference to FIG. 1A). Examplesof networks include a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network(“WAN”), and the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network such as the network 102. Therelationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programsrunning on the respective computers and having a client-serverrelationship to each other.

Other implementations are also within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising accessing through a network,processing capacity of virtual machines at a remote location; receivingfrom a user-device through the network, a first job for rendering framesusing one or more applications that have features suitable for renderingframes of the first job; causing the one or more applications to run onthe virtual machines; causing the first job to be executed on one of thevirtual machines; receiving from a user-device through the network, asecond job for rendering frames that can be performed by the same one ormore applications running on the virtual machines; determining, based onthe processing capacity of the virtual machines, that at least a portionof the one or more applications has an associated residual usage timethat may be allocated for execution of the second job and are a type ofapplication usable for rendering the frames of the second job, the typeof application being the one or more applications that executed thefirst job, the residual usage time being less than a time the one of thevirtual machines running the one or more applications was originallyallocated; responsive to determining that at least a portion of the oneor more applications have an associated residual usage time that may beallocated for execution of the second job and are a type of applicationusable for rendering the frames of the second job, causing the secondjob to be executed on the one of the virtual machines on which the firstjob is executed instead of allocating a new virtual machine to executethe second job, the second job being executed upon completion of thefirst job; and at the expiration of the residual usage time: selecting,from a pool of virtual machines another virtual machine having the sameone or more applications running on the virtual machine and havingresidual usage time that may be allocated for execution of the secondjob; and transitioning the second job to the another virtual machineselected from the pool of virtual machines to continue execution of thesecond job by the same one or more applications.
 2. The method of claim1 further comprising: tracking the use of each of the one or moreapplications on the basis of an amount of time that the one or moreapplications are used for rendering jobs, wherein the amount of timecomprises standardized units of time that are no longer than one houreach.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount of time comprises ameasure of the minutes during which instances of the one or moreapplications execute the first job or the second job.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 in which the one or more applications or the one of the virtualmachines is made available electronically.
 5. A system comprising: oneor more computing devices; and one or more storage devices storinginstructions that are operable, when executed by the one or morecomputing devices, to cause the one or more computing devices to performoperations comprising: accessing through a network, processing capacityof virtual machines at a remote location, receiving from a user-devicethrough the network, a first job for rendering frames using one or moreapplications that have features suitable for rendering frames of thefirst job; causing the applications to run on the virtual machines,cause the first job to be executed on one of the virtual machines,receiving from a user-device through the network, a second job forrendering frames that can be performed by the same one or moreapplications running on the virtual machines, determining, based on theprocessing capacity of the virtual machines, that at least a portion ofthe one or more applications has an associated residual usage time thatis may be allocated for execution of the second job and are a type ofapplication usable for rendering the frames of the second job, the typeof application being the one or more applications that executed thefirst job, the residual usage time being less than a time the one of thevirtual machines running the one or more applications was originallyallocated, responsive to determining that at least a portion of the oneor more applications have an associated residual usage time that may beallocated for execution of the second job and are a type of applicationusable for rendering the frames of the second job, causing the secondjob to be executed on the one of the virtual machines on which the firstjob is executed instead of allocating a new virtual machine to executethe second job, the second job being executed upon completion of thefirst job; at the expiration of the residual usage time: selecting, froma pool of virtual machines another virtual machine having the same oneor more applications running on the virtual machine and having residualusage time that may be allocated for execution of the second job; andtransitioning the second job to the another virtual machine selectedfrom the pool of virtual machines to continue execution of the secondjob by the same one or more applications.
 6. The system of claim 5 inwhich the use of the one or more applications is tracked for on thebasis of an amount of time that the one or more applications are usedfor rendering jobs, and wherein the amount of time comprisesstandardized units of time that are no longer than one hour each.
 7. Thesystem of claim 6 wherein the amount of time comprises a measure of theminutes during which instances of the one or more applications executethe first job or the second job.
 8. The system of claim 5 in which theone or more applications or the one of the virtual machines is madeavailable electronically.
 9. A computer program product comprising acomputer readable storage device encoded with instructions, which uponexecution by one or more processors, causes operations comprising:accessing through a network, processing capacity of virtual machines ata remote location; receiving from a user-device through the network, afirst job for rendering frames using one or more applications that havefeatures suitable for rendering frames of the first job; causing the oneor more applications to run on the virtual machines; causing the firstjob to be executed on one of the virtual machines; receiving from auser-device through the network, a second job for rendering frames thatcan be performed by the same one or more applications running on thevirtual machines; determining, based on the processing capacity of thevirtual machines, that at least a portion of the one or moreapplications has an associated residual usage time that may be allocatedfor execution of the second job and are a type of application usable forrendering the frames of the second job, the type of application beingthe one or more applications that executed the first job, the residualusage time being less than a time the one of the virtual machinesrunning the one or more applications was originally allocated; andresponsive to determining that at least a portion of the one or moreapplications have an associated residual usage time that may beallocated for execution of the second job and are a type of applicationusable for rendering the frames of the second job, causing the secondjob to be executed on the one of the virtual machines on which the firstjob is executed instead of allocating a new virtual machine to executethe second job, the second job being executed upon completion of thefirst job; at the expiration of the residual usage time: selecting, froma pool of virtual machines another virtual machine having the same oneor more applications running on the virtual machine and having residualusage time that may be allocated for execution of the second job; andtransitioning the second job to the another virtual machine selectedfrom the pool of virtual machines to continue execution of the secondjob by the same one or more applications.
 10. The computer programproduct of claim 9 further comprising instructions for: tracking the useof each of the one or more applications on the basis of an amount oftime that the one or more applications are used for rendering jobs,wherein the amount of time comprises standardized units of time that areno longer than one hour each.
 11. The computer program product of claim10, wherein the amount of time comprises a measure of the minutes duringwhich instances of the one or more applications execute the first job orthe second job.
 12. The computer program product of claim 9, in whichthe one or more applications or the one of the virtual machines is madeavailable electronically.